English |
Summary | Unit: Love and Reminiscence
Grandmother
| Ray Young Bear
The poet of
this poem, Ray Young Bear was born into a Meskwaki family on the Meskwaki
Tribal Settlement in Iowa. He was guided by his maternal grandmother for
knowing culture and heading forth for learning. He has an acute sense of
dislocation in two different cultures, American and Meskwaki. So, he puts his
respect towards his identity by valorizing in words. The theme of his poem and
other words are American Indians’ search for identity.
He claims that “we have
a wide, unbridled respect for all earthly kinds of life, be it a tree, a stone,
or a river. We believe implicitly they are very much alive, breathing, feeling,
sharing our existence”. So, he has used four sense images to signify the total
sense perception about the Grandmother.
if i
were to see
her
shape from mile away
i’d
know so quickly
that
it would be her.
the
purple scarf,
and
the plastic
shopping
bag.
|
· The poem is
nostalgic in tone as it starts with second conditional sentence “if i were to
see her shape..”
· Here we find that
the speaker’s mind has deep rooted image of his grandmother who wears purple
scarf (a symbol of compassion) and carries shopping bag (an identity
provider).
· He acknowledges
her as his real identity connection.
· The sense
perception through “eye” is reflecting a sense of pride towards grandmother.
|
if
i felt
hands
on my head
i’d
know that those
were
her hands
warm
and damp
with
the smell
of
roots.
|
· He remembers that
the blessings he was bestowed is lively and hardworking in nature.
· It reminds him
his true ‘self’ which is always full of life energy and hardworking feature.
· He acknowledges
her (hand) as guiding force towards active and laborious values of life.
· The sense perception
through “nose: smelling” is contextualizing breathing (i.e. living) with his
ancestral life values (smells of root)
|
if
i heard
a
voice
coming
from
a
rock
i’d
know
and
her words
would
flow inside me
like
the light
of
someone
stirring
ashes
from
a sleeping fire
at night
|
· He claims that
her voices always awake his consciousness relating him to his ancestral
identity.
· Such
consciousness is essential to remain connected with real identification and
existence.
· He acknowledges
her (voice) as inspiring force so that he would not lose his self-amidst
other cultural values.
· The sense
perception through “ear: hearing” is a remark of acute consciousness and
sense of respect towards his cultural heritage
|
There is
typical voices and images to give the poet a connection to his cultural and
ancestral identity (Saux and Fox). He finds his identity as a magic to the
white people of America. He is presenting the sensation that “I realize that
I’m not far off from my late grandmother’s expectations”. So he wants to build
a consciousness among tribal people the similar gratified, exalted sensation
and reverence towards grandmother (an image of his Ancestral Identity).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
a)
Write
a short summary of the poem ‘Grandmother’.
b)
How
does a speaker feel towards Grandmother?
c)
What
are the four things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his grandmother?
d)
What
activities of his grandmother does the poet recollect in this poem?
e)
What
is the main idea of the poem’ Grandmother’?
f)
What
impression of grandmother does the speaker give in the poem?
g)
What
image do you find in this poem written by a member of the Sauk and fox Indian
tribe of North America? To what sense do they appeal?
h)
What
is the relevance of grammatical distortion in the poem “The Grandmother”?
What is the relevance of grammatical distortion in the poem “The Grandmother”?
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